St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-06-02
RATTLERS.
Sample California Snake Stories.

RATTLERS.
Sample California Snake Stories.
Neao York Times.
Colonel Gillette began by learned
dissertation upon the virulence of the
rattlesnake poison. He told of miner
bitten through the boot leg by a big
taken care of, including the boots he
wore when bitten. Nobody wore them,
however, for eight months. Then IA
miner put them on, and in so doing
scratched his leg slightly. In eight
hours he was dead, and the needle-like
fang of the rattlesnake was found
sticking through the bootleg. The
poison had kept it's strength during
all that period.
Speaking of Yuba," said survey
or, just i'll from the Phoenix mine. 81
was surveying in San Diego county in
1878 with General H. l. Wiley, late
surveyor general of California. Wiley
and camped by spring in pretty
dry country, there being grove of
oaks near the water. He and rolled
up together at night in two pairs of
blankets and being tired went sound
asleep about nine o'clock. 1t was
about o'clock in the morning when
Wiley slowly wakened. He told me
afterward that he seemed to be under
the influence of a terrible fear that had
come on him while asleep. He opened
his eyes, but didn't dare to move. AS
he tried to get his wits he felt a slow
creeping motion of something heavy
going over his right arm. His right
arm was inside the blankets, and was
between him and me. The General is
thoroughbred. He has plenty of
nerve and presence of mind. He knew
exactly what it was, but without NOV
ing he called to me:
"'Ned,' said he in quiet tone.
81 was sound asleep. He had to call
three times before l, fortunately with
out moving, said:
"'Whatr -
"'DO not move MUSCLE said he.
DO you understand me p
Yes said l. You can bet l was
wide awake then.
"'There is a rattlesnake between us.
When | say three kick loose and jump
"'One, two, three said the General,
slowly, and we jumped. They were
pretty good jumps, as you can imagine.
Then we threw branch OIL the fire,
and when it blaZed up we went for the
snake. He had cOiled in the blankets,
and you can bet he was ugly. A pref
ty big fellow, tOO-siXteen rattles and
button"
Senator Hearst, who had been an in
terested listener, took hand. He did
not propose that the senatorial toga
should be surpassed by ordinary dag
Onal when it came to snake stories,
81 was out in Dakota he said, "and
an old mining friend of mine came to
me and wanted me to look at claim
of his. He was broke and had pretty
hard luck, and l was willing to help
him if | could. He said he had mighty
good thing; that he had sunk down
fifty feet on claim, and laid bare IA
three foot ledge that was full of free
gold and looked steady, hanging wall
and foot solid and clearly marked.
Well, we went Over..tO look at it. He
had opened it up with windlass. A
couple of Cinnamon had done all the
work, and they had struck six months
before, because he hadn't anything to
pay 'em with. The hole hadn't been
touched since then. Well, there was
no water i'm the shaft and the rope be-
ing good, | went down III the bucket
to take look at the ledge. L had a
pick with me and he lowered me. Only
one could go down at a time, and 1, of
course had to go, as L was the man
that was going to do the investing.
Well, the candle | carried went out on
the way down, and when the bucket
touched | started to light it.
"When | struck that match | don't
think | was ever quite so scared in my
life. You never heard such kissing
in all your born days. The fact was
that hole was just plumb full of rattle
snakes. They were coming up over
the sides of the bucket and their heads
were sticking out of the crevices all
around me. | knew | was a gOner,
but l hollered to the miner to hoist.
Before he could start, one big black
fellow struck at my hand and fetched
it, aud before [ could get above them
my hands and face were bit | don't
know how many times. 1t was fearful.
There's nothing so horrible as the feel
of snake bite. Well, the miner got
me to the surface, laid me down, and
poured whisky into me as fast as |
could take it. We had about a quart
with us. Then he went to sucking the
wounds as best he could, and he made
me chew up some tobacco and plaster
it on some of the others that he hadn't
time for. But my arms began to swell
up pretty fast and my face turned
black, and L began to feel a little
Eighty and deathly SICK" and the SEN
ator nauseated at the "Reminiscences,
shuddered and stopped with look of
disgust.
"But you recovered, SENATOR" ven
tured one of the party earnestly.
ooh, no." said the senator. "That
was the worst of it. | died."